How to Make Word Bingo: Topics for Class, from English Vocabulary to Japan's Prefectures, and How Many Words You Need

What is word bingo?

Word bingo is bingo with words in the squares instead of numbers. The caller reads out words one at a time, and players mark the word if it's on their card. The rules are the same as number bingo: a complete row, column or diagonal wins.

The difference from number bingo is that players have to listen to the call and work out which word it is. With English words it's listening practice, with prefectures it's place names and with kanji it's reading practice. Players meet the same words again and again while playing, so it suits the start of a lesson or a review. With some creativity in how you call, you can even give a clue instead of the answer itself and have players guess.

• English: words for animals, food, colours, days of the week, months and so on
• Social studies: prefectures, prefectural capitals, country names, historical figures
• Language arts: kanji, four-character idioms, proverbs, seasonal words for haiku
• Science: element symbols, constellations, plant names
• Events: words linked to Christmas, Halloween or New Year
• Young children: simple words for foods and animals (combined with pictures)

Number of squares and number of words needed

The first things to decide for word bingo are the number of squares and the number of words. The number of words on one card is the number of squares minus the FREE square. You can't make cards unless you have at least that many words.

The recommendation is 1.5 to 2 times the number of words that fit on a card. For example, Japan's 47 prefectures are just the right number for a 5×5 card with FREE. If you've prepared 30 English words, you can play 5×5, but 4×4 gives more breathing room.

Too few words and everyone gets bingo at almost the same time

If you use exactly the minimum number of words, every card contains the same words and only the order differs. As the calling goes on, everyone's card fills at the same pace, and bingos come all at once. Here's a comparison for 30 players on 5×5 cards (with FREE), using the probability simulation in the Bingo Card Maker.

With 24 words, 10 players have bingo only about 5 calls after the first. If you're handing out prizes, you won't be able to keep up with the winners. Conversely, the more words you add, the longer it takes before the first bingo and the bigger the gap until everyone has one. Decide by your goal: if you want everyone in the class to hear the words many times, use more words; if you want to wrap up in about 10 minutes, use fewer.

Ways to play in lessons and at events

With word bingo, you can adjust the difficulty just by changing how you call. The same card becomes a completely different exercise depending on whether you say the word itself or a clue.

• With clue-style calling, confirm the answer as a class before anyone marks their card. This stops children who marked the wrong square from calling "bingo".
• Write each called word on the board. Children who missed one can catch up, and at the end it becomes material for reviewing all the words.
• In a single lesson, allow about 15–20 minutes for 5×5, 10–15 minutes for 4×4 and about 5 minutes for 3×3.
• Having children write their own cards is also recommended. Write 16 words on the board and have them write any 9 of them in the 3×3 squares, which doubles as writing practice.

Things to watch when choosing words

• Keep lengths similar: if one word is extremely long, the text in its square gets small. If you print 6 cards per A4 sheet, words of 8 characters or fewer are a readable guideline.
• Avoid words that sound alike: pairs that are easy to mishear, such as Oita and Osaka, or "right" and "light", are best left out unless listening practice is the goal.
• Don't repeat words: if the same word appears twice, some children will fill two squares from one call. The card maker removes duplicates automatically.
• Match the age group: for young children, use simple words and combine them with picture cards so they can play even before they can read.

Making and printing word bingo cards

1. 1

   Choose word bingo

   In the Bingo Card Maker, choose "Word Bingo (words/prompts)". Ready-made topics are available, including Icebreaker Bingo, Prefectures, English Words (Animals), Christmas and Foods (Hiragana), so you can also use one as it is.

2. 2

   Enter your words

   Enter one per line, or separate them with commas. Duplicates and blank lines are removed automatically. If you don't have enough words, it shows how many you need and how many you have.

3. 3

   Set the grid size and number of cards, then print

   Enter one card per player and print 1, 2, 4 or 6 per A4 sheet. Each card gets a different selection and order of words, and no two cards have the same layout.

4. 4

   Call with the number caller

   The Number Caller on the same screen draws the words you entered one at a time without repeats. Turn on read-aloud and English words are read with English pronunciation, and Japanese words are read as they are.

People-search icebreaker bingo prompts can be made with the same word bingo feature. How to make number bingo by hand or in Excel is covered in How to make bingo cards.

FAQ

How many words do I need for word bingo?

At minimum, as many words as fit on a card: 8 for a 3×3 card with a FREE centre, 16 for 4×4 and 24 for 5×5 with FREE. But with exactly the minimum, every card has the same words and bingos come at almost the same time. Preparing 1.5 to 2 times the number that fit on a card creates variation and makes the game more fun.

What grid size works best for prefecture bingo?

For Japan's 47 prefectures, a 5×5 card with a FREE centre (24 words per card) is a good match. With 30 players, the first bingo comes at around call 13 on average. For younger children or when time is short, 4×4 (16 words) finishes sooner.

How should I call English vocabulary bingo?

Start by pronouncing the word in English, and students mark that word's square. Once they're used to it, you can raise the difficulty by changing how you call, for example saying the meaning in their language and having them find the English word, or calling a verb's past tense and having them mark the base form. The Bingo Card Maker's Number Caller reads English words with English pronunciation.

Why do lots of players get word bingo at the same time?

When the number of words you've prepared is close to the number of squares, every card contains the same words and only the order differs. With 30 players on 5×5 cards, 24 words means 10 players have bingo only about 5 calls after the first, but with 47 words it takes about 10 calls to reach the 10th. Adding words spreads them out.